Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: I was pleased seeing the feedback for the last chapter so I'll get my thank you for that! Mb (I wasn't surprised you mentioned Castle and Beckett starting the morning as they ended the night before, lol, figured they should take advantage of what time they had to indulge in that. I'm not surprised you're wondering about Julia having dreams about the case, and the explanation for that is of course in the second half of the chapter. And I'm really glad you love them getting ready for the Christmas vacation and looking forward to going to Japan in the summer too! You're welcome for the first half of the chapter! I was pleased you thought the second half of the chapter was a wonderfully written update too. Not surprised you mentioned the normalcy as you put it with them watching the show with the kids. I did say the reason for the dream would be in the second half, lol. And I wasn't surprised that you mentioned the sniper taking a shot at them and it couldn't have been Corwin and wondering if more people were trying to get the jewels too. So great that you thought the second half was interesting and had a little bit of answered but more questions, lol, but I did expect you to think that. You're welcome for sharing the second half of the chapter!).

Thanks for the review, I loved reading it and appreciate the time taken to write it out and send it my way!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song I'm in Love with My Car written by Roger Taylor, from the Queen album A Night at the Opera.

So She Made Tracks

"That was the weirdest thing," Darnley said as they were walking into the breakroom.

"That he was on something?" Castle asked.

"That whoever did that to him shot at us," Darnley replied.

"I think that proves something," Castle commented, watching his wife while she was beginning to write on the murder board. When she glanced back at him he said, "That they are not criminal masterminds."

"If this is just local to here," Beckett said. "Then I would be surprised if they were."

"Are you worried about Harrington?" Darnley asked her.

"Very," Beckett said with a frown since they had gone to the neighbor's house once Corwin was on his way to the hospital to ask if she'd seen anything before they'd arrived at the Vernon home.

"Ms. Harrington?" Brad said as he was knocking for the second time.

"I don't like this," Castle said.

"It can be a welfare check," Beckett told the chief.

"And you saw her at the window?" Brad asked his friend.

"I did," Castle said.

"Okay," Brad said firmly. "Ms. Harrington, I'm coming inside," he said firmly before he took out the lock picker he had. He was sliding the first part in when he frowned and then opened the door saying, "I should have checked it."

"It looked locked," Castle said.

"Stay here," Brad directed to his friend.

"Are we going in with our weapons?" Darnley asked.

"Just Beckett and I," Brad answered before he was withdrawing his gun just before she did.

They walked together into the entry before they heard a thud upstairs and froze, listening to it happening twice more. With Brad leading the way, they ran up and proceeded to search the rooms before they came to the last bedroom, Harrington's.

"Ms. Harrington," Brad said before the thud sounded again. He let Beckett race ahead of him to the closet before he was following, reaching the doorway in time to see the woman was tied and gagged on the floor.

"Do you have a knife?" Beckett asked the chief.

"Here," Brad said, handing her one before he took it back once she'd cut at the ropes around the woman's arms.

"Hold on," Beckett told Harrington as she was taking the gag out of her mouth. "Do you know who did this to you?"

"No," Harrington managed to say before she was sobbing heavily.

"I'll call in another ambulance," Brad said, nodding when Beckett showed him the bump on the back of the woman's head through her hair.

Gently squeezing the woman's shoulder, Beckett stopped her from sitting up and said, "Don't move, someone hit you on the back of the head."

"I can feel it," Harrington said through her tears. "There were… two of them… but one was… crazy and he didn't do anything." She did her best to calm down before she was being given a tissue and she thanked the writer before drying her eyes and face.

"They'll send another out," Brad said, walking inside the room with Castle and Darnley following. "Is she alright."

"She's spoken to me a little," Beckett replied. "She said there were two people here after she was hit on the head." Something came to mind then and she asked the woman, "Were you unconscious at all?"

"I don't know," Harrington said, her voice thick but her tears having stopped. "Please let me sit up."

"I'm afraid to allow that," Brad said.

"I won't sue you, just let me move," Harrington begged. She was relieved when Beckett was assisting her and once she was sitting up she murmured, "I'm fine."

"Can you tell us anything else about what happened to you?" Brad asked her.

"They hit me on the head and the next thing I knew I was tied up," Harrington said after taking a heavy breath. "The one guy I couldn't see was talking to the other, he was Corwin. I knew him."

"But you didn't know the other," Beckett said.

Shaking her head Harrington explained, "He had a mask and ski goggles. But he was a guy since I knew his voice wasn't disguised."

"Would you be able to ID that voice?" Brad inquired. When the woman nodded once and sucked in a breath he said, "Try not to move your head."

"I forgot," Harrington said. "But the other guy was telling Corwin to go to the house next door and try to get the jewelry from you guys."

"So you were at the window when we arrived," Castle said before the woman was responding verbally as she held herself still.

"Yes, I saw you pull up and step out before I was pulled back and hit on the back of my head," Harrington replied. "But the guy with the mask was here," she said. "In this room since the window in this closet looks to the window in their main bedroom."

Beckett gave her husband a look before he could speak and turned her attention to Harrington asking, "After he shot at the Vernon's house?"

"He ran out," Harrington said. "And after… I don't know how long I heard you knocking on the door. How did you get in?"

"Your front door was unlocked," Brad said before they were turning towards the bedroom at the faint sound of sirens outside.

"But… you should have seen who that guy was," Harrington said with a frown.

"It was a diversion," Brad said before he went out into the bedroom when Darnley called that the paramedics were there.

"Are you considering the front door?" Castle asked his wife.

Shaking her thoughts from the memory of finding the woman and getting her to the ambulance, Beckett said, "I am. I have an idea and you're going to think it's crazy."

"If you're going to mention ninjas then I'm petitioning Brad to let you have the rest of the day off," Darnley said, watching the pair.

"Not ninjas," Beckett said before she looked at her husband again. "Whoever that guy was cared about her," she explained to him, not surprised when he frowned for a moment.

"There is something to that," Castle said. "But I wonder if it works. Wouldn't she know… oh."

"Oh?" Darnley asked, frowning himself at that point in his confusion.

"Whoever he is, he was watching her and didn't really have much interaction with her," Castle started before his wife was continuing easily.

"But he knows her and wants her and he didn't hit her hard enough to make her unconscious for long, if at all," Beckett added.

"And he made sure help could reach her fast," Castle said before they were turning to Darnley as he was speaking to them both carefully.

"Good theory but you'd have to prove it," the carpenter said. "And I kind of get the feeling you can't," Darnley added when Beckett sighed.

"He's right, now we can't," she told her husband before he was taking the marker she'd been using.

"But it's something to work with," Castle said. "And thank you for not bringing up that bullet."

"We took care of that," Darnley said. "And you did redeem yourself by finding out they were trying to open that stuck drawer."

"It did give us some insight into the killer's character," Castle said. "Well… if they were the killer."

"More than likely, I can't see a line of people going into the house without anyone seeing," Darnley said.

Looking at his wife after he'd nodded in agreement to what the carpenter had said, Castle asked his wife, "What is it?"

"No…" Beckett began to say before she trailed off and jogged into the bullpen.

"What-" Darnley started to say before Castle was giving him the marker and following his wife.

"Skye, Mary?" Beckett asked as she walked up to the window looking out into the lobby.

"Surprise," the investigator said before she went to the door. "Open," she told her friend simply before she was ushering her wife inside as soon as Beckett had done so, not surprised when she was speaking to her in a whisper.

"Do you have it?" Beckett asked her. At the investigator's nod she took her arm and pulled her to Brad's office before they waited for her husband to lock the door and close the shades over all the windows looking out at the bullpen.

"Aren't they going to be suspicious?" Darnley couldn't help asking.

"It doesn't matter," Beckett said, taking the pouch Skye took out of her pocket. "Please tell me you had this secure on the way here."

"The benefit of my connections, I wasn't searched," Skye replied. "I went through the employee way."

"That's illegal," Castle stated instead of answering before Mary was speaking with a wry smile.

"It isn't if you have a police escort," the doctor said.

"Does that mean-" Darnley started to say before he was interrupted by the voice at the doorway.

"Oh good, you're here," Brad said before he continued inside. "Any problems?"

"Not really, we slept on the way and they're here," Skye replied while Darnley was closing the door.

Noticing that Brad whirled around to the investigator and asked, "You have it?"

"I do," Beckett said, taking the pouch from the inside pocket of her blazer. She handed it to the chief and they gathered in front of the desk as he was opening it.

Shaking out the items inside, Brad shook his head at the sight of the gold bracelet and the gemstones before he said, "All that for this."

"And the other two pieces," Skye said. "Which you haven't found yet. I need to go to the house."

"Right now," Brad stated, looking up at her.

"Yes, it's late… here and I want to walk them through before it gets too dark," Skye said, a little surprised since it seemed like her request would be denied.

"We can take her, we just need an escort," Beckett said, having noticed the same thing.

"Then I can have Bernier take you," Brad said.

"Corwin and… Harrington?" Skye asked.

"Corwin just had his stomach pumped," Brad told her. "Did they tell you what he had?"

"Yeah, that zombie drug along with meth," Skye replied, frowning. "How is he not dead?"

"The doctor thinks the dose of meth wasn't that much," Brad said, speaking absently since he was putting everything back into the pouch. "We'll have to have Jinko over," he said, looking pointedly at his friend.

"You want him to come now?" Castle asked.

"No, I need to go back to the hospital and record an interview with Harrington," Brad said. "Also I want to escort her home and set her up with a guard."

"Guard?" Skye asked.

"Did you want to do that?" Brad said immediately.

"Not really, I was about to ask if that was going to be an officer," Skye replied.

"Yes, likely Fox," Brad said before he turned to Mary.

"I'm staying," the doctor said firmly. "She's going to need me with her."

"I was just going to ask," Brad said before he was going to the drone picture of the station he had hanging. After he'd pulled it from the wall he swiftly opened the safe and stored the pouch before he closed the door and made sure it was secure. Once the picture was back on the wall he turned to the others and said, "Go, I'll be joining you as soon as Harrington is safely back at home."

"I'll join you in a second," Beckett told the others.

"So will I," Skye said immediately. She wasn't surprised when her friend was looking at her in obvious confusion and shook her head briefly.

"What is it?" Brad asked them to pull their attention back to him.

"You realize what you're doing assigning Fox to her," Beckett said.

"Ah, I knew it," Skye commented.

"I'm not doing anything," Brad said.

"You know Fox got dumped not that long ago," Beckett said.

"Excuse me, before you respond to that," Skye said quickly. "How long ago was that."

"Not just," Beckett admitted. "But it was a month ago and they'd been together for two years."

"Marriage?" Skye asked.

"I don't think so," Beckett said slowly. "But she was upset."

"She was, she took a week off to recover," Brad said. "And she seemed to. But I'm not doing any matchmaking. Fox is the most logical choice to stay with her overnight while this… kidnapper and or killer is loose."

"Her schedule?" Beckett asked. When the chief nodded she sighed and then said, "Alright, I just… hope if anything happens it'll work out for her."

"You've talked to Fox?" Skye inquired.

"I did, when she was back after that week," Beckett answered. "We better go," she then said.

"Great, I don't have much time before they're going to release Harrington," Brad said.

With the chief following them, Skye looked to the side of the bullpen and saw the officer they'd been talking about standing up to Brad's call. She remained silent until they were in the Castle's car and she said, "Bit of a squeeze."

"I'm bringing my car tomorrow," Darnley commented, sitting to the left of the investigator.

"Are you guys really squeezed?" Castle asked from the driver's seat.

"No, and it is winter," Mary said, looking at her wife.

"Do you two know about the freeze?" Castle asked.

"We heard… we're terrified," Mary said before they were laughing together.

"So you're doing okay," Darnley said to Skye when they had calmed down, not surprised the investigator was glancing at him before she responded.

"I'm fine, just… ready to get this settled so I can help them," Skye answered.

"Pass on?" Beckett asked, looking back at her. When the investigator visibly hesitated she said, "Skye."

"They've told me they might want to stay at the museum," she replied.

"Have you tried to dissuade them from that?" Castle asked.

"I can't right now," Skye said firmly. "Not when they're in this state," she said before she was looking around them. "Where's Bernier?" she asked when she was facing forward again.

"He'll meet us there," Beckett answered.

"Oh," Skye said. "Is everyone aware of what's going on with the vics?"

"They are, they knew they were with me," Beckett said.

"Great, I don't want to have to deal with the explanation… or trying to hide it," Skye explained before the car was slowing down. She watched Castle speaking with the guard before the gate opened and they were allowed inside before her wife was taking her hand.

"You stiffened," Mary explained to her wife's look.

"Sorry they… know they're home," Skye said. Seeing the two in the front looking at her since the car was parked she said, "I'm fine, let's get started. Like I said I'd like to go around before it gets dark."

After they were walking up to the front of the house Beckett noticed the investigator was looking at Harrington's and she said, "She's alright," before Skye was speaking swiftly.

"You're sure?" the investigator said.

"The doctor said she wasn't hit hard enough to give her a concussion," Beckett said before they reached the front door and Bernier was unlocking it.

"That's not suspicious?" Mary asked while they stepped inside.

"It was but we've cleared her," Castle said.

"Unless she's working with the killer," Skye commented before she held her hand out to the Vernons that were in front of her.

"There's a clause in the will," Castle said. "If she's involved in anything that happens to them she doesn't inherit."

"She's the inheritor," Skye stated.

"I told you they were good friends," Beckett said. "And they had no other family."

"And the museum?" Mary asked.

"It goes to her as well," Darnley answered.

"She's not the killer," Skye said before her wife could say anything in response to that. When she turned to the others she asked, "Mind if I lead here?"

"You can," Bernier said. "I'll stay here to keep an eye out for anything."

"You're sure that's alright?" Mary asked in surprise.

"It is," the officer assured her. "The chief trusts them. And you too," he added, indicating the McDouglases.

"Where do you want to take us first?" Beckett asked to bring them back to what they were supposed to do at the house.

"Let me see the office and that hidden room," Skye said, walking over to the doorway leading into it and pausing there before Castle was speaking to her carefully.

"Do you think it'll have to do with that dream?" he asked.

"That's why I want to look," Skye replied. "They're telling me to go upstairs right now though I want to see everything here before I commit to that."

"Do you have the engine safe?" Beckett asked her.

"We do," Mary said while her wife was stepping inside the hidden room.

"Wait, what about your girls?" Castle said then.

"Dad and Pablo moved in with them," Skye answered, turning around. "And they'll bring them of course. You're sure we're not going to be too crowded."

"We won't," Beckett replied. "Anything?"

Shaking her head Skye walked over to her and said, "They're demanding now."

"Then we should head up," Beckett said while she stepped out of the way of Mary who shortly after took Skye's hand. She and her husband followed the pair up the stairs with Darnley after them before the investigator took them straight to the main bedroom. "CSU looked through the house," she said, glancing at her husband when he spoke next as they were watching Skye walking around on her own.

"We did too, though if there was anything hidden we wouldn't know," Castle said.

"I'm assuming that's what you're hoping?" Skye inquired, glancing back at him. When he nodded she smiled briefly before she walked over to the closet and peered inside. "That's where the shot was," she said.

"The practice one," Castle said.

"Why bother doing that?" Mary couldn't help saying.

"We have no idea," Darnley told her.

"Or when it was shot either," Skye said, stepping inside.

"Not unless we get a confession," Beckett said. "Are you getting anything?" she then asked the investigator.

"Yeah," Skye said, walking around the perimeter of the closet before she stopped at the northwest corner. Kneeling, she reached for the carpet that was there and managed to pull it up before she was moving away with the carpet in her hand.

"A safe?" Castle asked.

"They said the two pieces are here," Skye said. "Or were, they're not sure about their memory of course, so I wouldn't hold your breath."

"But they do remember the code," Castle said slowly.

"Don't ask me how it works," Skye replied, putting in the code before she opened the door. "I told you not to hold your breath," she told the others since the compartment was empty inside.

"Why were… what did you do?" Brad asked, walking up to the doorway of the closet before he saw the state of the floor.

"There's a safe and they had the pieces in here at one point," Skye said as she stood up. "Can I speak with Harrington?" she asked after thinking that over for a moment.

"Why?" Brad asked.

"I wanted to ask her about something," Skye said. When the chief was just looking at her she said, "About the pieces."

"We've asked her," Castle said.

"He's right, we mentioned jewelry but she didn't know anything except for the pieces that Eileen wore already," Beckett explained.

"Then you didn't ask her in the right way," Skye said firmly.

"Alright, I'll take you to her," Brad said after he'd studied her for a moment. He led them back through the house before they were walking over to Harrington's house.

"Chief?" Fox asked in surprise when she answered the doorbell.

"Yeah, Skye here wants to talk to Ms. Harrington," Brad said.

"Who?" the woman herself asked, walking into the entry behind the officer. "Oh," Harrington said as soon as she'd seen the investigator. You."

"Yes, I'm Skye McDouglas, this is my wife Mary," she introduced swiftly. "I need to speak with you because Bernard and Eileen are demanding I do so."

Opening her mouth for a moment, Harrington frowned briefly before she said, "Okay, come inside, please." After they were in and Fox had closed the front door she led them to her living room before they were sitting and she said, "You… I've heard that you're a psychic?"

"I can speak with the dead," Skye corrected. "They wanted to know if you've been inside their closet?"

"Why would I go there?" Harrington asked with a frown.

"They just want to know in the off chance you did," Skye replied.

"No," Harrington said firmly. "Have you been in there?" she asked the investigator.

"You're aware of the safe," Castle said before he could stop himself.

"Of course, they used to have their important documents there before they moved everything into their bank," Harrington said. She looked around at the others and said, "You've looked in the box they have right?"

"We did, and we only found their papers," Beckett said, glancing at Brad who nodded to her.

"Only? Something else should have been there?" Harrington asked.

"Did they ever tell you about the-" Skye started to say before the shattering of glass made them duck.

"What was that!" Harrington screamed while Fox got her to leave the room as soon as the sound of squealing tires was heard.

Running to the window, Brad was jumping out with his gun in hand in time to see the grey car speeding down the street. "Damn it," he said roughly.

"Another shot?" Castle asked at the front door he'd opened for them to return to the house.

"I don't think so," Darnley said. "Remember the shot upstairs next door?"

"It could have been a rifle," Beckett told her friend before they were entering again. When they reached the living room she saw Skye and Mary were at a hole in the wall opposite the picture window.

"Do I ever want to know what this is from?" the investigator asked.

"I know already," Brad said, looking at Beckett. "You were right."

"Um… what about Bernier?" Mary said then, startled when the four raced out of the room. "They- Skye!" she said in surprise since her wife was following before she called to her over her shoulder.

"He's going to be hurt," Skye said. "Stay and make sure Harrington is alright." She reached the four once they were in the Vernon's house and said, "I'll call an ambulance."

"I already did," Brad said grimly. "He was taken out first."

"But he's breathing," Skye said in concern, kneeling next to the chief and checking the pulse of the officer.